Hello.Â My name is Jennifer.Â I work at the main library.Â I've worked at the Olathe Public Library for over 12 years.Â Before coming to Kansas, I worked in libraries in Kentucky and California.Â I seem to like states that start with the "k" sound (Kansas, Kentucky, California!).

I've always been a bit of a reluctant reader.Â When I was in elementary school you would very seldom have found me curled up with a good book.Â Instead you would have found me outside shooting hoops, playing 3 Flies Up with the neighborhood kids, or building tree houses.Â I associated reading with school work - it wasn't something I thought of as fun.Â My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Salidivar, changed that.Â After recess she would read aloud to the class.Â Â The first book she read to us was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.Â It was magic, and I was hooked!Â Â A Wrinkle in TimeÂ will probably always be my favorite book.Â I've read it several times since then, and I always seem to get something new out of it each time I read it.Â

Some of the books that I've read recently and really enjoyed are Clementineby Sara Pennypacker, Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, and the Children of the Red King (Charlie Bone) series by Jenny Nimmo.Â Clementine and Diary of a Wimpy Kid were both very funny andÂ made me laugh out loud.Â If you enjoyed the Harry Potter series, try the Children of the Red King series.Â You might like Charlie Bone, too.Â The Harry Potter series may have come to an end, but there are still more Charlie Bone books to come.Â I'm eagerly looking forward to the next installment!

Some days I'm still a bit of a reluctant reader.Â Â It's something that's been hard for me to overcome.Â But I've had enough experience by now to know how easy it is to get lost in a good story and how rewarding a good book can be.Â Â One ofÂ my favorite parts ofÂ being a librarianÂ is connecting kids with good books andÂ helping them to discover the joyÂ of reading.Â Sometimes all it takes is finding that one special book.

When I'm not at the library (or reading) I like to spend time in my backyard watching the wildlife (mostly birds and squirrels) and trying to make things grow.Â I'm not a very good gardener.Â Â I plant flowers, fruit,Â and vegetables in my yard, but they don't always survive.Â Â Trying to figure out what goes wrong isÂ a bit like doing a science fair project.Â Did I water too much?Â Or maybe not enough?Â Still, when my plantsÂ thrive andÂ theyÂ actually produceÂ flowers, fruit,Â or vegetables, IÂ find itÂ very exciting.Â It still amazes me how such a big pumpkinÂ can grow from just a seed!